My Garmin Coached Me for 3 Months and This is What Happened!

In this video I use my Garmin and the Garmin Coach to train me for a Half Marathon.

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[MauriceRand]

Instead of Garmin Coach, have you tried Garmin's Daily Suggested Workouts? I'm not sure what you watch you have, but I find the DSW to be way superior to the Coach. Like the Coach option, you can set a race and goal time in the calendar, and the watch creates a training plan to fit that goal. However with DSW, you only see the next 7 days of suggested workouts. What's cool about the DSW is that it adjusts to your running history, training load, recovery, sleep, stress, etc. If you go out and run a workout too hard (or have bad sleep, stressful day, low HR reading), it might remove a tempo run for later in the week. If you go out, workout and dont appear to be stressed too much (or maybe your HRV isnt getting hit too hard, or sleep was excellent), it might make a future run more intense or longer. What I've noticed is that it basically gets you to the point of running almost every day, but you do it at such an intensity to recover by your next workout (often times, the next day.)

If you do end up trying the DSW option, I recommend setting the suggestions to be by heart rate (instead of pace.) If you have your heart rate zones set to lactate threshold readings (which Garmin auto updates if youre wearing the heart rate strap), you'll also see the suggestions change as you get fitter.

[ivybuggggg]

“She forgot to hit record, it’s okay, she tried her best” HAD ME ROLLING LOLOLOK

[thomasorchard]

I didn't use the Garmin coach, but I used the Garmin suggested run workouts based on my event. Helped me complete my half marathon. I skipped some workouts but no big deal.

[kayeyeemme]

Thanks for sharing! You're right, it's all about the journey. So cool to see you try different training plans and tools to improve your running. That PR will come, keep pushing!

[Le_oui]

Garmin Coach made me hit a PR recently, I wasn’t able to do all the workouts due to my work and grad school schedules. It was really unexpected after 2 years of attempting to hit a PR in half marathon.

[macarlos]

Where do you get that strava display on the shelf?

[MrCatBaggins]

Great Job Al! It’s cool seeing you’re running journey, keep it up! 💯

[tejasflo]

Man… what happens at 3:45 was gut wrenching. Training for so long and not being able to finish. What a vulnerable moment. Was so glad to see you get up and try again. Thanks for sharing this. This video make me a subscriber.

Also… 😂 @ gf’s camera work. Like you said, “maybe third time’s the charm.”

[TobyNewbatt]

Incredible video - that's a lot to put in 6 minutes!

[Koufalia]

I used the Garmin coach for my first Marathon. Out of all the workouts throughout the 18 weeks, I missed only a couple. The prediction was for 3.59.
But Race Day came and after mile 14 I could barely run, so I ended up with 5.45.
Looking back and after talking with a few friends I came to the conclusion that Garmin coach focused more on pace, rather than accumulating mileage.
Just for reference, my VO2 Max is 52 (45 years old) and my Half Marathon PR is 1.53 (which Garmin predicted accurately!!!!)

[jonathantimm]

I am going to give it a try myself. I was using the Runna app and absolutely loved it. I was training for my first marathon and unfortunately had to skip it due to injuring my Achilles. I have let my Runna subscription lapse since then but now would be a perfect time to try the Garmin plan.

[eat]

Banger of a video but I do feel that you're missing a conclusion of what you did and didn't like with the programme?
I'll go first 😂
This was my first ever training plan outside of a c25k plan a couple of years ago. I did the half marathon plan which slowly ramped up the mileage and pace.
I loved the adaptive routines and the prescriptive runs in order for me to be absolutely rigid with following orders.
The bad stuff:
I got to about 3 weeks before my half marathon and I realised that my longest run on the plan was just 8 miles which was actually supposed to be an easy run and not at all at my expected half marathon pace. The coach gauge showed me that they were confident that I'd hit my mark.
Come race day, it was an absolute scorcher at Hackney Half, I hit the 8 mile mark and the wheels absolutely came off. Came in 28 mins after my goal time and my body was wrecked because of the distance increase.
I should mention that I caught a flu (which I do suspect was covid because I've still not fully recovered) a couple of weeks before the race which would have definitely contributed but I do feel that the plan let me down massively in terms of preparation. Taking a few days off so I'm going to put together a training plan that works for me. Will be using multiple training plans to frankenstein a plan that I can incorporate my football (UK), gym work as well as my running. Feel free to share any plans!

[BrendadeVries]

I am in week 12 out of 23 from Garmin Coach with Jeff Galloway. I don't think I will be ever able to finish a half in 2.5 hours. I never get one of the interval trainingruns done in the speed that is required. Sometimes I get 1 or 2 times the 800m in the time that is required, sometimes I have to walk and stop the time to get the 800m's in the required time. I am simply very slow sadly. I prefer the coach over the daily workout suggestions as the suggestions don't show a lot of difference. Sometimes they show on saturday a long run, but I want to do it on sunday. And most of the time they only show basic slow runs for me in a speed that is also too slow for me. So the daily suggenstions don't offer me what I need or want. With the coach you can more or less choose, so if you think it is better to do the short training (with Jeff there is only 1 training a week that is really around 30 minutes, the others are over 1 hour and the long training is 2-3.5 hours till now), you can adjust. So sometimes I do the short training on monday after a long run on sunday instead of friday 4 days later. You cannot do this with the daily suggestions. But what I don't like with the coach is that you cannot put in your own training like an official 10k run for example. That is not possible. So if I do a 10k run on saturday, on sunday still the long training is there. The 10k run is not seen as a training for the coach. This means you have to delete the long training then, or do it just half the way it was suggested as a more or less restday.

[EB_TheRebel]

Publix is a tough course to run even when you’re healthy. Way to keep at it bro. You’ll bust that PR in no time!

[Saboomafoo_]

You’ll get that PR because you don’t give up 🥳

Maybe 3rd times the charm I won’t forget to click “record” 😅

[btran]

What is that black and orange track display in the background of your a roll?

[andreshenao]

Omg I want that band, but unfortunately it seems that is no possible to buy out of US. Do you have any link in Amazon?

[ManuelGonzalez-urpc]

Do I still have to take my phone when I go on a run ? Or can I listen to music off my garmin

[Mikenight]

Nice video, ive gotten 2 PRs with Garmin Coach. Switched to using Runna now. Been loving the variety of workouts within Runna. Hoping for another PB. But overall it has been a blast of training block with the app. Sadly its subscription is pretty expensive.

[OldFashioned]

Great edited video. Love my Garmin and I’m slowly unlocking how it can help me with my health journey